The Sweet Scent of Violets

Vintage cards like  this, with the scene inside a wreath of flowers, give me ideas for water color.

Every year when the violets cover the lawn like a scented cloth, I think of making a garment to go with, but I never quite achieve it. I think about it, sketch a design, color it, and look for fabric. The idea, of course is to sew the dress or skirt in time to have a picture taken standing in the field of violets.  Usually the violets disappear while I am still forming the plan in my mind.

Yesterday  the violets appeared (usually after a very foggy, overcast period) but again, I was not prepared.

This is what they look like outside:

Some paintings by Catherine Klein are interspersed throughout this post.

Mr. S., thinking of mowing the grass, noticed the violets and took me out to see them. He always hears of my ideas-- well of course he does-- I'm in and out of his office all day telling him something, which I am sure he is interested in 😊-- and so he offered to go hunting for violet fabric  ("Let's go look for some of that 'violent' fabric," he quips) and this is what we found at Walmart fabric department: (The cup is from Goodwill). In deference to me, and because of the appearance of the violets (so he says), Mr. S. Is not cutting the grass yet. And I was told he couldn't take me to a fancy tea room so he would stop and let me find a tea cup at the Goodwill. 😊. You girls realize we joke around a lot. 

One time there was a meeting my husband wanted to attend. We had been going and going and I finally needed to get the kitchen cleaned and catch up on so much, that I bowed out . Someone asked where I was, and he answered, "she didn't finish her work to do at home. If she gets her work done, I will let her come next time."  Well you can imagine the small-minded person who asked about me did not see the humor and went tale bearing all over the place about how Mr. S. kept me locked away working all the time at hime and would not allow me to go anywhere.  That's just Mr. S. dry humor, ladies.

As I was not sure of the style I was going to sew this into, I didn't get any ribbons or accessory type things....and they had no violet shade shoes😊 nor was there any hat to match. Would it not be nice

to find silk violets to make into a fascinator or hair clip? Yes, I think so. You may remember one year I made a violet cape and some little hair pins with fleece violets from instructions I got off someone's etsy store: 

This is all cotton with a silky feel and linen look, by a company called Rose and Hubble. I didn't look at the top of the bolt to see the name of it, but I quite like the way they name prints and solids. Seaside and Glacier, Primrose and Ballet, etc. 

I always think one should have a dress and a tea cup to "go with" the current scenery, whether at home or traveling. And, if you paint, it's a delight to get your little paint book out and make another page, with the current date, while wearing a violet blouse and keeping your violet cup in view. Going to the seaside? How about a sea shell print from the fabric store and a matching bag for your. sea side tea cup.  We will try that one later.

Well, ladies, today I am putting all the crazy "issues" away and all the controversy and inner conflict with life outside the home, to enjoy a special week of blooming violets by sewing something to go with.

I think it is ever so soothing to enjoy this sort of thing and when my children were growing up we had colors and foods and activities to go with whatever was blooming or whatever the weather.  Remember my foggy day teas in previous years, and the things I sewed to go with?

This is a mismatched cup and saucer, but I know if I keep checking our local thrift stores, the mates will turn up, like a few others in my China cabinet.

The scent is like fresh spun cotton candy at a carnival

It would also be nice to make a little violet brooch to wear. What do you think?  These days I have been using Velcro to back brooches and corsages, instead of pins.

Just about the time some of us were getting overly gloomy from the cold and dark weather, God sent us a carpet of violets, and not only that, but it enabled us to get ideas and start enjoying violet season in many different ways. I think I saw somewhere people were making violet tea.

Let me tell you more about Mr. S. There is a shop he likes near the area where I go hunt fabric and he was wanting to go there too.  However he will help me find fabric, and I know of several husbands who make the perfectly engineered  templates for their wives quilting squares.  Mr. S. likes cars, so of course he is going to find a fabric store near the area he also wants to see....no use wasting a trip, you know.

When you see violets in the spring, or anything new in any season, it's a great influence for your children to hear you appreciate it. 

On the selvedge of fabric there is usually a color code strip that shows the color of threads that went into the print.  I cut this off and put it in my wallet to use for choosing other things like a jacket or cardigan, shoes, fabric dyes, art supplies, tea cups, florals for making fascinators. That is not to say I always do all that, but it is nice to have that handy little color strip.

The fabric looks like a good tablecloth for a viola tea. I may find as many coordinating cups as I can and host a little February tea. Since  I use plastic on top of all my table cloths, I could use this fabric before I sew it. And yes, the print is pansies, not violas.